If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Announcement

Collapse

Terms of Use Agreement

1. You agree, through your use of these public Forums, not to post any material which is unlawful, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, sexually orientated, abusive, hateful, harassing, threatening, harmful, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, inflammatory or otherwise objectionable. You also agree not to post any copyrighted material unless the copyright is owned by you. You further agree not to use these public Forums for advertising or other commercial enterprise purposes. Any questions directed to, or concerning the administration of this website, will be sent to admin@popasmoke.com and not posted to the public Forums.

2. All postings express the views of the author, and neither the administrators nor POPASMOKE will be held responsible for the content of any postings submitted by the Members or anyone else. The administrators of these Forums reserve the right to remove, edit, move or close any postings for any reason. Members who make postings on the Forums which are not in accordance with the Terms of Use Agreement, risk having their posting privileges withdrawn.

HMM-365 Combat Recovery Team

05-09-2004, 15:04

The Dangle Angle

If you don't mind dangling from a rope in mid-air above Viet Cong infested jungle, it's a fine job.

It may not sound like too attractive an occupation, but it's a satisfying one. If you're accepted into Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 365's Combat Recovery Team, you will probably be instrumental in saving people's lives, people in crashed aircraft.

There are 23 Marines on the 365 team, and all are volunteers. There could be more if all who wanted to join were accepted. But the screening process is selective and the preliminary training is tough. A man's motivation and strength have to be somewhere in the realm of the superhuman.

The men are lowered into terrain which can't be penetrated over land or by water, not, at least with the equipment needed for rescue. And they're likely to have to fight the VC while trying to save injured pilots and passengers. When the Viet Cong see an airplane go down, they hurry to the site, hoping to capture the injured and gather intelligence information from the bodies of the dead.

The Combat Recovery Team beats them to it. Within five minutes after HMM-365 is notified of a crash, the three sub-teams have gathered. Over the crash site they rappel (a method of controlled descent by rope) one after another, to the ground. Some of the Marines set up a defensive perimeter. Others head for the wreckage, hoping to find life in the tangled mass of metal. If there is, the injured are treated and, if possible, winched back to the hovering helicopter. If a man is too seriously hurt, the recoverers assemble a saw and hack a landing zone from the jungle.

The dead are lifted into the copters, thermite grenades burn the wreckage and the Combat Recovery Team is hoisted aboard.